Viking
The vikings are a race of tall and fair-haired humans from Scandinavia who are known for their incredible resistance to cold and even magical frost. They are enthusiastic warriors, and act as soldiers and mercenaries all over Europe. Eager to augment their martial skills beyond the traditional methods of Scandinavia, they excel in all manner of warfare. They thrive in the cold, reminiscent of their native Scandinavia, and are known as a militant people by their neighbors. Vikings are also natural seamen, and have benefited from nautical trade since their first migrations across the sea from Scandinavia. Society Vikings favor earth tones in their clothing and prefer simple and functional garb. The skin can be very light, but it is always some shade of tan or brown. Hair color can be red, blond, or brown. Contrary to popular belief, vikings are approximately as tall as the British. Vikings average 6' tall and weigh as much as men. Vikings speak Norse. Most who travel outside Scandinavia (as traders, mercenaries, or adventurers) know the German, English or Latin tongues, and most vikings are Warriors. Viking architecture includes longhouses, mead halls, and ring fortresses. There was great but sporadic violence from the last decade of the 8th century on Albion’s northern and western shores: Viking raids continued on a small scale across coastal Albion, but only during summer. While the initial raiding groups were small, it is believed that a great amount of planning was involved. Runestones are often memorials to deceased men. Runestones were usually brightly colored when erected, though this is no longer evident as the color has worn off. Danelaw Weregild *If property was stolen, or someone was injured or killed, the guilty person would have to pay weregild to the victim's family or to the owner of the property. *The payment of weregild was an important legal mechanism in early Germanic society; the other common form of legal reparation at this time was blood revenge. The payment was typically made to the family or to the clan. *No distinction was made between murder and manslaughter until these distinctions were instituted by the Holy Roman imperial law in the 12th century. Payment of the weregild was gradually replaced with capital punishment, starting around the 9th century. *The size of the weregild was largely conditional upon the social rank of the victim. A regular freeman (churl) was worth 200 shillings in 9th century Mercian law (twyhyndeman), a nobleman was worth 1200 (twelfhyndeman). The law code even mentions the weregeld for a king, at 30000, composed of 15000 for the man, paid to the royal family, and 15000 for the kingship, paid to the people. An archbishop is likewise valued at 15000. The weregild for a Welshman was 110 if he owned at least one hide of land, and 80 if he was landless. *Thralls and slaves technically commanded no weregild, but it was commonplace to make a nominal payment in the case of a thrall and the value of the slave in such a case. A shilling was defined as the value of a cow in Kent or elsewhere, a sheep. Serfdom Thralls (slaves), Churls (freemen) and Huskarl (non servants, bodyguards etc). And, as expected, nobility ranks above these and royalty higher still. In Christian regions, the clergy are equivalent to nobility. Fyrd Defences were based upon the fyrd. It was a militia called up from the districts threatened with attack. Service in the fyrd was usually of short duration and participants were expected to provide their own arms and provisions. The origins of the fyrd can be traced back to at least the seventh century, and it is likely that the obligation of Englishmen to serve in the fyrd dates from before its earliest appearance in written records. Anglian Weaponry Anglian weaponry bears a lot of similarity to Saxon weaponry. Fyrdmen would carry an angon, broadaxe, knifr and a couple of bearded axes. Swords were very costly to make, and a sign of high status: military leaders and jarls often bear a seax or broadsword. *Angon - Short spear Common *Atgeir - Halberd *Bearded Axe - Throwing Axe Common *Broadaxe - Battleaxe Common *Broadsword - Longsword *Knifr - Dagger Common *Krókspjót (Winged spear) - Ranseur *Seax - Falchion Armor generally consisted of: *Spangenhelm, optionally Horned or Winged *Chainmail or Lammellar *Roundshield *Cape viking-warrior.jpg viking_warrior-752252.jpg The_Vikings_were_hated_everywhere.jpg Category:Race